Holy Yulimar Rojas!
Standing on the precipice of one of the great upsets in World Athletics Championships history, the 27-year-old from Venezuela, unbeaten in the triple jump in four years, had one last chance to salvage something. Anything!
Rojas, sitting back it eighth, jumped at it, her final effort of 15.08 metres leaping her into the gold medal position, with that securing a first four-in-a-row in the women’s triple jump, to sit alongside her Olympic gold and world record.
Cue the deliriously wild tears normally associated with first-time champions, Rojas also making it into the last eight with her final jump. Talk about saving the best until last. Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, in front all the way before that, had to settle for silver with a season’s best 15.00m.
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Not long after, Haraka Kitaguchi repeated that surprise act by winning the women’s javelin throw with her last effort of 66.73 metres.
The 200m sprint showdowns came with teasing talk of world records, and Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson sure came close, defending her women’s title first in a championship best performance of 21.41 seconds.
That left her just .07 shy of Florence Griffith-Joyner’s world record which has stood since the Seoul 1988 Olympics, Jackson again denying the US challenge chance of gold here.
Gabby Thomas of the US did land silver in 21.71, ahead of World 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson, who had to settle for bronze here in a personal best 21.92.
Straight after that Noah Lyles kept his sprint treble alive, adding to his 100m title, in 19.52 seconds, though that still well short of the 19.19 Usain Bolt ran in 2009, with 19 year-old US team-mate Erriyon Knighton taking silver in 19.75, ahead of Letsille Tebogo from Botswana (19.82)
The women’s 800m final is set up for an epic showdown on Sunday, Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson winning the first semi-final in 1:58.48, before Mary Moraa from Kenya equalled that in the third, defending champion Athing Mu from the US surviving a near trip to qualify in second.
Earlier in the day, following a decision agreed by Athletics Ireland, Rhasidat Adeleke withdrew from the women’s 4x400m relay, those heats set for Saturday evening.
While her absence makes final qualification an unlikely order, fatigue from her fourth-place finish in the 400m final on Wednesday, on top of her long NCAA season in the US (which saw her race 34 times), was given as the main reasons behind her
“Team management, with a duty of care to all athletes in mind, and in consultation with Adeleke and her coach, and Athletics Ireland medical team, have confirmed the decision,” said Athletics Ireland.
Adeleke, who turns 21 next Tuesday, has a lifetime best 49.20, clocked in June. The starting Irish quartet will now likely be Sharlene Mawdsley, Roisin Harrison and Sophie Becker, along with Kelly McGrory, whose has a best of 54.21 this season. Last year, Adeleke raced in both the heats of the mixed 4x400m relay in Oregon, then the European Championships 4x400m relay, helping the Irish quartet to finish sixth.
